Kenneth R. Harding (March 28, 1914 – October 3, 2007) served as

Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives The Sergeant at Arms of the United States House of Representatives is an officer of the House with law enforcement, protocol, and administrative responsibilities. The Sergeant at Arms is elected at the beginning of each Congress by the membership ...

from October 1, 1972, until February 29, 1980.

Personal life

Harding was born on March 28, 1914, in

Medina, New York Medina is a village in the Towns of Shelby and Ridgeway in Orleans County, New York, United States. It is located approximately 10 miles south of Lake Ontario. The population was 6,065 at the 2010 census, making it the county's most populous ...

. His parents were Victor Hunt Harding and Edith Falk Harding. He graduated from

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...

in 1937. He married his first wife, Jane Wedderburn Harding, in 1938. The couple were married for 68 years until her death in 2005.

Career

Harding served in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

for three years and the U.S. Air Force Reserves for ten years. He retired from the Reserves as a full

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. He went on to become

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of the

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is the United States Democratic Party, Democratic Hill committee for the United States House of Representatives, working to elect Democrats to that body. The DCCC recruits candidates, raises ...

in 1954, which he held for 18 years. Harding worked in some capacity on

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

for over thirty years and served as

from October 1, 1972, until February 29, 1980. He moved to

Ormond Beach, Florida Ormond Beach is a city in central Florida in Volusia County. The population was 43,080 at the 2020 census. Ormond Beach lies directly north of Daytona Beach and is a principal city of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach, FL Metropolitan ...

, upon his retirement.

Death

Harding died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

at Ormond Beach Memorial Hospital in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

on October 3, 2007, at the age of 93. He was survived by his second wife, Ruth Campbell Harding, four sons, Kenneth (Honolulu), Richard (Savannah), Bruce (New York), and Victor (Orlando), and thirteen grandchildren, including actor and television host,

Zay Harding Zavan Kerr "Zay" Harding (born November 1, 1974, Lihue, Hawaii) is an American television personality and actor, who may be best known as "Jeff Northcutt" on the MTV television serial, ''Spyder Games'', and as a host of the adventure travel telev ...

and physician-author,

Kelli Harding Kelli may refer to: Places *Kelli, Drama, a former village in the Drama regional unit, Greece * Kelli, Florina, a village in the Florina regional unit, Greece Notable people Surname * Keri Kelli (born 1971), American guitarist Given name * K ...

References

External links

Washington Post: Kenneth Harding; House Sergeant-at-Arms and Hill FixtureDaytona Beach News-Journal: Kenneth R. Harding
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Kenneth R. 1914 births 2007 deaths Sergeants at Arms of the United States House of Representatives United States Navy personnel of World War II Deaths from pneumonia in Florida George Washington University Law School alumni People from Medina, New York